Jericho
by CPegasus
Summary: Jericho is back, and his story is stranger than any of the Titans could have imagined. How long can he hide from his past...and his father?


Hello there. This story was written as part of an ongoing project, consisting of various writers writing their own episodes to the Teen Titans cartoon. This is schedualled to be the first episode of "season seven". The events are not based on the comic book, although I did draw on it for inspiration. I'm a fan of both the comic and the show, but remember as you read that this is Toon-Verse. I welcome feedback, good or bad (just try to be gentle ;) ) enjoy

notes: I'm giving this a rating of K+ because, although there isn't any cursing or sex, there is some pretty creepy violence. There's a little subliminal Star/Robin and Raven/Jericho, but I'm sure it can be ignored if you really want to.

0-0-0-0-0

"_TITANS TEAM EXPANDS TO SIX!_

_"Teenage Crime-Fighters Add New Member to Their Ranks_

_"This morning, the Teen Titans announced at a press conference that they were adding a new member to their team. Former Honorary Titan Jericho was present at the meeting, but did not speak on his own behalf as the sixth Titan. As Robin, the leader, explained, Jump City's newest protector is mute, and communicates only in sign language. A few reporters expressed their concern that he would be unable to effectively communicate with the people, but the Titans claimed that they have the situation under perfect control. _

_"With six members in their current roster, the Titans hope to be even more efficient at protecting our fair city from the evils and creatures that sometimes seem to bombard it—" _

Slade stopped reading the paper. He took a sip of his coffee, for the moment, seemingly lost in thought.

He put the paper back down and smoothed out the page. The article that he'd been reading was short, but accompanied by a large picture of the new team. Robin was far to one side, looking cool and collected as usual. Cyborg sat next to him, without much of an expression on his half-human face. Raven was all the way to the other side, partially hidden by her hooded cloak. Beast Boy was to her left, waving at someone to the right of the picture. Starfire beamed at the camera, sitting with her arms folded in front of her.

And there, right in the middle. Slade placed a finger under the boy's head.

"Jericho..." He muttered.

He was small, frail-looking. His large green eyes were gentle, easily showing the cameraman how happy he was feeling. The blond hair that curled around his head was neat and clean. In short, he looked trustworthy and kind—exactly what a city looked for in its protectors.

Slade snapped his fingers, tearing Jericho's head out of the picture with one movement. "You won't be fighting much evil in my city," he said aloud. "Not if I know you. And I do..."

0-0-0-0-0

"Yee-ha! Alright, welcome to your new home, Jericho! Chez Titans!" Beast Boy burst through the doors into the main room of Titans tower. He was closely followed by Cyborg and Robin, with Raven drifting in after. Jericho, the man of the hour, was hanging back shyly by the doorway, overwhelmed by the attention.  
"Do not be afraid," Starfire assured him, with her warm smile. "I will cook you the traditional welcoming feast of Tamaran! Then you will feel at home!"  
Beast boy whipped his head around to look at her, his face turning an ashen grey. "Oh please no..."  
Jericho stepped slowly into the room. He was like a lamb, with his soft crop of light hair, and his large, expressive eyes. He moved slowly and shyly, as one does who has not seen much human company for years. But he smiled as he walked, taking in the tower's view of the ocean, and the city. There was a serenity to this strange young boy. He slung his guitar off of his shoulder, and placed it lovingly next to the wall.  
"Don't leave it there, we have quarters already set up for you," Robin said from the computer, where he had sat down. "Star, you want to show him where his room is?"  
"I will be glad to!" Starfire put down the few pots and pans that she had begun to take out, and floated over to where Jericho stood. She grabbed his hand. "This way!" Jericho barely had the time to clutch his guitar again before he was dragged out of the room.  
"So. What do we think of him?" Raven asked, when the sounds of wood and strings hitting against body had faded away.  
"Well he don't say much," Cyborg answered from the couch.  
"Don't expect him to. He's mute," Robin explained.  
"I know, I know, I was listenin'. How'd that happen, anyway?"  
"He didn't say." Robin turned his gaze back to the screen, typing in more commands. "I guess he was born like that."  
"That's going to make him interesting to fight with," Raven remarked.  
"Hey, lay off, Rae." Beast Boy hopped over the couch and picked up his video game controller. "Jericho's cool. Me and him helped save the rest of you guys from the Brotherhood of Evil, remember?"  
Cyborg folded his arms. "Not like we can forget, with you lording it over us all the time."  
"I do not lord!"  
Cyborg put on his best impression of his friend "'Hey guys, let's get tofu pizza! Because I saved your lives! Hey Cyborg, let's play my new game first, because I saved your life!"  
"Well I did!"

"Can we focus, please?" Raven asked, rubbing her temple with one hand. "Or do you two need some quiet time before your naps?"

"Calm down, guys. I'm sure Jericho is—" Robin didn't have the chance to complete his sentence; a red light began to flash as the tower's alarm went off. Robin whirled his chair back around to the computer screen, bringing up a map of the city. "We've got trouble, team! Cardiac's downtown, by the park."

Starfire flew back in through the door, still dragging Jericho by the hand. "We are ready!"

"Alright. Titans—"

"Waitwaitwait wait a second," Beast Boy cut in. "Jericho can't fly! So how're we all gonna get there?"

"I will gladly carry him along with Robin," Starfire offered, but Robin shook his head.

"That isn't fair to you. We have to move quickly, we don't want to slow you down."

"Well if I'm riding with Raven, that only leaves you, salad-head," Cyborg said.

"Be something big." Raven turned toward the door, smirking slightly.

"Huh? Bu- hey!" Beast Boy started to object, but then he caught sight of Jericho in the corner. He was hunched over, looking at the floor. Jericho looked up, and smiled gently, waving his hands in front of him in complicated signs.

"Look, don't worry about it!" Robin said, walking over and putting a hand on Jericho's shoulder. "I told you, you're part of the team. We're not gonna leave you behind."

Jericho continued to sign nervously.

"It's not a problem," Robin replied. "Beast Boy, you're carrying him. Now let's go!"

"Aw maaan..." Beast Boy grumbled, but another look at Jericho's face softened him. His annoyance melted away into empathy for the shy young boy. He morphed into a small sheep and trotted over to him. "Don't look like that...I didn't mean it..." he butted his head against Jericho's leg. "Cheer up, willya?" He changed back to his natural shape. "Listen, it sucks bein' the new kid. I know that. So how bout I help you out, kay?"

Jericho craned his neck forward, pushing Beast Boy's head back. He furrowed his brow and studied Beast Boy's face. Beast Boy, for his part, shrank back into his collar with his ears drooping. Then Jericho smiled widely, and held out his hand.

Beast Boy sighed with relief, and shook it. "Man, you're not gonna make this easy, are you?"

"Come on you two, let's get going!" Cyborg called from the doorway, where Raven, Robin and Starfire were already waiting.

"Alright already!"

0-0-0-0-0

Starfire and Raven touched down lightly on the soft grass of Jump City's Central Park, dropping Robin and Cyborg to the ground. Jericho fell from the sky behind them, followed shortly by Beast Boy in his normal form.

He sat up panting. "Man...that was...harder than I thought."

"Dude, you were a pterodactyl! How hard can it be?"

"Quiet!" Robin admonished Cyborg and Beast Boy, before they started to really fight.

Robin looked around the park, listening closely for any sign of an enemy. As it turned out, he didn't need to look too hard.

"Hello, Robin."

He stepped in front of the Titans, hands folded calmly behind his back. Starfire gasped audibly. The energy field around Raven spiked sharply, sending a dark aura in every direction. Beast Boy morphed quickly into a battle-ready tiger, while Cyborg charged up his big guns. Robin's eyes narrowed behind his mask, and his hand clutched his bo staff tightly. None of them looked behind to see the expression on Jericho's face. His eyes were wide, his mouth slightly open, his entire visage openly showing fear.

"Slade."

"You hadn't forgotten me, had you?" Asked the voice behind the mask; lilting, quiet, and dangerous.

"How could we?" Raven asked in reply through clenched teeth.

Beast boy switched back to his normal shape. "Hey wait a second, what happened to Cardiac?"

"He was never here, Beast Boy. You can't imagine how easy it is to sound the alarm."

Robin extended his staff. "Let's just do this."

"Oh no," Slade said, walking towards the team. "I'm not here to fight, Robin. Not today. Today, I'm here to see your new friend." The one eye that could be seen under his mask narrowed lazily. "It's been a long time, Jericho."

"What! Dude, you know him!" Beast Boy asked, whipping his head around to look at Jericho.

Jericho had stepped back, still staring at Slade with terror in his eyes.

"Of course he does," Slade answered for him. "Don't _you_ know _your_ father?"

"FATHER?" The entire team yelled in unison.

"He didn't tell you?" asked Slade sardonically. "I suppose he wouldn't. Not after the _last_ time one of you was connected to me." His eye glittered menacingly in Beast Boy's direction.

"WHY YOU—"

"Easy, Beast Boy," Cyborg held the green wolf in front of him by the tail.

The fear still had not left Jericho's face. His eyes darted around to his teammates, but never failed to return to his father's mask.

A cold, dark chuckle emanated from the metal face. "I see you haven't forgotten me, either. Aren't you going to fight? Or does simply looking at me make you weak?"

Jericho tried to yell something, forgetting for a moment that he could no longer speak. Clutching at his throat, he scurried backwards, not stopping until he hit a tree.

"Hm. How disappointing." Slade turned his back on the Titans.

In a flash, Robin charged, twirling his staff to build its momentum. But he had barely reached Slade's armored back before the man whirled around again, taking the thin weapon between his hands.

"You will not defeat me, Robin." Slade pushed on the pole, sending Robin flying backward without even breaking a sweat. "Don't be foolish."

Robin landed less than gracefully on the soft grass. He stood, preparing himself to fight again.

"There'll be plenty of time for that, another time." The _shhhing_ of a blade leaving its scabbard rung out, as Slade drew a sword out of his armor. "But for now, if you won't stay down..."

Blade connected with bone, and Robin went down screaming. The gash on his leg was bleeding badly. The boy grabbed the spot where he had been wounded instinctively, in a vain attempt to stop the blood from flowing.

"...I'll just have to keep you down myself." With a flick of his wrist, Slade re-sheathed his sword.

"ROBIN!" Starfire was at his side in a moment, kneeling next to him. The other Titans were yelling, too; Beast Boy in distress, Cyborg in anger. Only Raven and Jericho were quiet. She knelt on Robin's other side and began to work quickly, grimacing as she used her powers to lighten Robin's pain. Jericho stood helplessly behind them.

With a cry of rage, Cyborg turned back to Slade and charged his plasma gun. The man had continued to walk away, as though nothing had happened. He was nearly out of range, by this point. But that didn't lessen the glare in Cyborg's one natural eye.

Before he could shoot, however, Jericho had run before him, signing rapidly with his small hands.

"I don't care how dangerous he is," Cyborg yelled, "I'm takin' him out!"

"There isn't time!" Raven called, tearing off part of her cloak for a makeshift tourniquet. "We have to get him back to the tower."

"So we're just gonna—"

"NOW!"

Jericho nearly whimpered as he tried to push away Cyborg's gun, silently telling his senior to leave, before anyone else got hurt.

Cyborg still glared as he looked back out at the park. But Slade was nowhere to be seen.

0-0-0-0-0

It was a tense few hours at Titans Tower. Raven collapsed with exhaustion when Robin finally stabilized, having to be taken to her room to recover. Switching between beds from time to time, Jericho hovered anxiously over both.

"Stop blaming yourself," Robin told him, after the fourth or fifth time that Jericho had come by to apologize. "Nobody thinks it's your fault."

"'S his fault I didn't get 'im—" A glare from Robin shut Cyborg's mouth.

Starfire placed a plate of some bizarre-looking green mush onto Robin's bedside table. "What I do not understand," She said, "is why you did not tell us of your father when you first arrived."

Looking anywhere but at the faces of the other Titans, Jericho pushed his fingers together.

"It's okay." Raven strode through the door of Robin's room. "You don't have to answer."

"Rae?" Beast Boy slammed the door open behind her, and Raven winced. "When'd you get up! You gotta rest, remem—"

"She seems fine to me." Robin adjusted himself in the bed, sitting up straighter.

Raven nodded to Jericho. "Come with me." The boy blinked, but followed her quickly. Beast Boy went to follow her, his own eyes wide with a slight confusion. Quickly turning around, she said simply "Don't," and closed the door behind her.

"Pff. Fine, be that way." Beast Boy crossed his arms. "Think I care? I don't care."

"You do not? But it seems like—"

"Just forget it, Star."

0-0-0-0-0

The door opened into Jericho's room, followed by Raven and Jericho himself. It was a clean space, with white on the walls and little dust in the air. The guitar sat on top of a set of neatly folded covers on the bed, where he had been playing a few hours earlier to take his mind off of Slade.

Raven had to shield her eyes against the bright sunlight coming in through the unshaded windows. "Listen. I know how you're feeling. You're afraid that the rest of us aren't going to like you, that we'll think you're as bad as he is. Right?"

Jericho nodded.

"It's not true. Really," She added, as Jericho looked away and twiddled his thumbs again. "I know exactly what you're feeling." Raven's hand stretched out, but she pulled it back before it could reach Jericho's arm. Then she sighed, and went through with it, putting an awkwardly friendly hand on the sleeve of his shirt. "My father was worse than yours."

And she told him her story. How she had been born of the demon Trigon, forever cursed to be his portal to the world of men. How for years, she had worked alone, dreading the thought of anyone getting too close to her. But she also told him of how Trigon had been defeated, with the help of her friends. Jericho watched her intently, kneeling on the floor beside her like a puppy would, if it wanted to absorb all of the attention she gave him.

Raven sighed again when she finished. "It isn't...easy, talking about him." But she smiled. "You know, after knowing Beast Boy, I kind of like not being interrupted."

Jericho's eyes sparkled when he grinned. He began to sign, while Raven watched in silence. The time passed quickly as his story unfolded; the bright glow of the sun had turned to a warm orange by the time he finished.

She nodded. "Don't worry. We'll help you. The same way they helped me. You aren't alone anymore, Jericho."

He grinned, tears lining his eyelashes. Without words, all he could do was hug Raven around the neck. With something of an indulgent smile, she returned the gesture.

0-0-0-0-0

A week passed. Robin's leg had begun to heal, at least sufficiently for him to move around with the help of a crutch, or Starfire's arm. Life was returning to normal; for the Titans, anyway.

It was a quiet day when Jericho pushed open the doors to the main room in the Tower. The streets of Jump City were safe, for the moment, and the Titans were taking advantage of their free time.

Raven was the only one to look up when Jericho entered, marking her place in the large tome she'd been reading. The usual racing game was playing on the big screen, holding the attentions of Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire. Robin was at his computer, as usual.

"Tell me, am I sufficiently burning the rubber, dudes?"

"Star, never say 'dude' again. Please."

Raven rolled her eyes as she left them behind, hovering over to Jericho. "Are you ready?"

He took a deep breath before nodding.

"Don't be scared. We'll get you through this."

Jericho looked Raven straight in the eyes, and she returned the locked gaze.

_Contact!_

Robin looked up from his computer. "Raven, something up?" He spun his chair around. "Raven?"

"Not right now," answered Raven's voice from Raven's body. She adjusted Jericho where he had fallen to the floor, resting him against the wall.

"Well who are you, then?" Beast Boy shot at her, leaping over the couch and moving like liquid into the form of a monkey in a kung-fu stance.

Raven's head lifted up, and she smiled at the other Titans. Her dark eyes had lightened, to a soft green. "It's me, Beast Boy. Don't you remember what my powers do?"

Cyborg stared. "Jericho?"

"Yes," was the simple reply. "Raven is very kind to me. She offered to let me use her voice today."

"To do what?" Asked Robin.

"To explain myself. She told me—well, I told—we talked. And I wanted to tell all of you what I told her. You've all been so good to me. You gave me a home, became my friends. It's the least I can do."

Robin went for his crutch, but Starfire flew over and took his arm before he reached it. She helped him limp up the few steps to where Raven stood.

"What did you tell her?"

0-0-0-0-0

_"My mother always used to say that meeting my father was the worst mistake of her life. Never to me, of course. But I could hear her talking to her friends late at night, or on the phone when she thought I wasn't listening. She never talked about him much, even when I asked..."_

A small, curly-haired boy of about seven poked his head around the doorway, blinking at his mother where she sat amid a pile of papers. He dropped a backpack on the hardwood floor and crept over to her. "Mama?"

She sighed, pushing back dark hair from her face. "What is it, J?"

The boy climbed onto the sofa next to her. "We were making Father's Day cards in school today. But I don't have a father. And everyone thought I was weird when I said that. Why?"

Adeline Wilson put down her bills, lifting her son onto her lap. She bounced him a few times on her knee, stalling to find the words she wanted. "Most kids have two parents at home. I guess the children didn't understand that you don't live with your father."

"But I don't have one, right?" Jericho cocked his head. "A father is a man who loves you and lives in your house. So I don't have one."

Adeline sighed again. "Oh, J...that's not quite it. Everyone _has_ two parents, it's just that some don't live with both. You have a father, somewhere."

The boy's green eyes blinked again. "I do?" He started to smile, but his mother cut in before the grin could break out across his young face.

"But he isn't a good man, J. That's why we don't see him. I don't want you to meet him. Do you understand?"

"But I...okay mama. I understand." He slinked off of the couch and left the room, taking his bag with him as he slowly went off, deep in thought.

_"It wasn't until I was 13 that my powers started to come. But when they did, I started trying to fight crime. Battle evil, all of that. Only I wasn't that good, on my own." _

It was very late. 13-year-old Jericho tried to sneak in the back door of his house, to conceal from his mother the cuts and bruises covering his body.

"Jericho!"

He cringed. It hadn't worked.

The stomping of a pair of feet down the stairs had frozen him where he stood. Adeline followed the sound, pulling a bathrobe around her and holding a set of curlers in her hair. "Where have you been? I was worried sick about—And I should be, shouldn't I?" She pulled back the arm of Jericho's shirt, revealing his scrapes. "What have you been doing!"

"Mom, please, I'm sorry..."

"Sorry!" Adeline's curlers fell out of her hair as her head shook around in anger. "Is that what I'm going to hear when my son gets himself maimed or killed out there? SORRY?"

"Mom, that isn't going to happen! I'm careful, I promise!" Jericho took his mother's hand and moved it away from his body. "But I can't just do nothing. I gotta be out there. I'm helping people."

"I don't care how careful you are, young man! If you keep this up you're going to—" She cut off abruptly, and continued, "you're going to get yourself hurt."

Jericho allowed the nighttime silence to speak his remorse for him. But a thought nagged at his mind, finally pushing its way forward. "What do you think is going to happen, mom? What else, I mean?"

Adeline bit her lip as she looked at her son. "...maybe you _are_ old enough, now." Without any gesture to Jericho, she turned her back and began to climb the stairs. He followed.

By the time Jericho got to his mother's room, she had already pulled out a large scrapbook. Cover to cover, it was filled with headlines, clippings, and news articles of all sizes. A small one here about a hit-and-run; a front-page headline announcing the assassination of a political figure; news of the assassin's escape from prison. Every picture showed the same man, in the same cold, metal mask. As the book went on, the smaller articles disappeared entirely.

"Who is he?"

Adeline sighed. "Your father." She turned another page, looking down as she spoke. "If you insist on this crime-fighting bit, you should know."

Jericho sat next to his mother on her bed, taking her book and flipping through the pages.

"I thought he was daring, back then. Dashing. Fighting the system, or something. If I'd known what he was going to become..."

Jericho's eyes stopped on one of the pictures, studying what little he could make out of his father's face. "Why did you--?"

"Keep a book of it? I don't know." She rested her chin on a hand, leaning forward. "Maybe I just wanted you to know, one day. So you would never end up like him."

_"That was the first I ever heard of my father. I was so much younger, even if it was only a few years ago. You must know what it feels like, when you first start fighting. I thought I could take on the world. But all I had to do was take on him..." _

The night was dark. Heavy rainclouds covered the sliver of a moon that remained in the sky. Slade's boots splashed quietly in the puddles that he came across, sending more ripples than waves with a calm walk. He had no need to hurry.

Jericho, on the other hand, tore across the streets of the city. His thin shoes sent the rainwater flying over the edge of the puddles as he ran through the alleys and streets.

Slade came to a slow stop in the street, cocking his head slightly to one side. A moment later, Jericho came flying out between two buildings, settling himself panting into a fighting stance.

Slade almost chuckled to see the young boy. "Do you expect to stop me?"

Jericho was still panting from his run. "Yes."

"Don't be a fool." The man advanced, fixing his cold gaze on Jericho's face. "Why should a mere boy be able to do what so many have failed to?"

"I'm Jericho—this is my city!" he proclaimed. "And I'm not just any boy," he paused to let the word have its full effect, "Father."

Slade stopped.

"Father..." he repeated, touching a finger to his chin thoughtfully. "Now, that _is_ interesting."

Jericho shifted his weight, having regained control of his breath. "Adeline Wilson is my mother," he said. "She's told me all about what you've done. And I can't let you continue."

"Stupid boy. I told you already, you will not win."

"Well I've gotta try!" Jericho sprang forward into a run.

It took Slade all of two seconds to pull a dagger out of his armor, and hold it out in the boy's path. Jericho was moving just too fast to fully stop.

The knife slit into the flesh on his throat as he passed by, halting only a moment too late.

With a gurgling cry, Jericho sank to the ground. Streams of blood ran over his frail hands as they clutched at his neck.

Slade sheathed the blade as though nothing had happened. He even looked bored. "Just remember, child. This was your doing."

He walked off as the rain began again, leaving his son bleeding on the pavement.

It was another hour before he was found. Adeline's heeled shoes clipped along the streets as she ran, calling his name the whole way. When she finally reached Jericho, he was barely conscious.

"Oh J..." Adeline cradled her son's head in her arms, pulling him to her chest. "J, I told you, I told you. Oh J..."

0-0-0-0-0

The other Titans had crowded around Raven, listening intently. During the story, they had migrated to the couch. Jericho's body still lay peacefully on the floor.

Raven took a deep breath before finishing the story. "That was the only time I saw my father, before coming here. I'm sure that he thought I was going to die. The doctors said that I should have, if I didn't heal faster than most people. It's something I got from him. But I didn't heal fast enough to save my voice."

Starfire's bright eyes swam with tears. "I am sorry to hear all of this. I wish that there were something we could do to help."

"It's okay, Starfire. I've gotten used to it, by now."

"No..." Robin said slowly, "There is something we can do."

"Huh?" Raven's eyes blinked.

"What is it?" asked Starfire.

"Jericho, we can train you," Robin explained. "And we can go back, and fight your father."

"Fight him?" Raven shrank into the sofa. "I couldn't. He's already shown that he wants to kill me!"

"Well so's everyone else you fought," Cyborg pointed out. "What, s'it that different cause he's related?"

"Well...I mean..." Raven still slouched in the seat. "I guess...not really."

"Then that's all it takes!" Robin stood, putting a hand on Raven's shoulder. "All we have to do is get you to think about Slade like any other villain. And we'll help you take him down!"

"I'll...I'll see." Raven tried to smile, and looked out at the sunset over the bay. "I think I should let Raven have her body back, by now..."

"It was wonderful to hear you speak!" Starfire grabbed her friend's hand. "Please, if you ever need to again, do not hesitate to ask! I would be delighted to allow you the use of my voice!"

Raven smiled more. "Thank you, Starfire." She closed her eyes, and exhaled calmly. Within a moment, Raven's eyes opened again to their usual dark color, and Jericho stirred. He sat up, with the same hesitant smile on his face.

Beast Boy charged over to him as the little ram that Jericho had first seen him as. "Well let's do this!"

0-0-0-0-0

A full month had passed. Under the watchful eye of the senior Titans, Jericho had grown stronger and more confident by the day. But the day the alarm rang, it still came as a shock to them all to see who was causing the trouble this time.

"It's him," Robin called from the computer.

"About time!" Beast Boy bounded to the door as a tiger, ready immediately to fight. Starfire flew behind him, already charging her starbolts, and Cyborg followed with a grimace on his face.

As Robin grabbed the last few Birdarangs for his belt, Raven came up behind a very scared-looking Jericho. "Are you ready?"

The boy bit his lip as he nodded, but his eyes said it all. _I have to be._

"We're here for you, Jericho. Remember."

And with that, the Titans were off. They flew again, together, to the park, this time with a much softer landing. And this time, Slade was waiting.

"Well, you came back," he remarked lazily, hands folded behind his back, as he laid eye on his son.

"Of course we did!" Robin pulled out his staff, not waiting for any preliminaries.

"Eager, are we? Well if that's what you want." Slade drew his sword in a deft movement, and Robin charged. Sparks flew as steel hit iron, and the combatants nearly flew across the open ground.

Of course, Robin was not the only one fighting. Just as he fell, tripping over a tree root, he was lifted off the ground by Starfire, who shot off a few starbolts as she flew him to safety. Slade couldn't focus his attention on the pair—a bright green bear was rearing up behind him, and a bolt of blue light flew forward in the direction of his head.

"It's go time!" Cyborg yelled. Beast Boy grabbed in front of him for Slade's head, but the man ducked out of the way—only to find himself facing the barrel of Cyborg's arm. He dropped to the grassy ground, and Beast Boy had to shrink down to a fly in order to avoid the blast.

"Hey, watch it!"

"He's moving too fast! I can't aim!"

"Let me take care of that." Raven's eyes glowed with a dark blaze as she intoned, "Azarath Metrion ZINTHOS!"

A tree nearby uprooted itself, surrounded by the same dark aura as Raven. But still, Slade was too fleet to catch. The tree hurled itself toward him, but only managed to hit Beast Boy.

"HEY!"

"I'm trying!" Raven yelled back. More trees, rocks, even a picnic table levitated, trying to hit the nimble man. But no target could hit its mark.

Meanwhile, Jericho still stood where he had started, watching the action. His wide eyes took in the scene, yet his feet remained frozen to the ground. The very sight of Slade would have rendered him speechless, if he had not already been so.

"Aah!" Raven yelled, as she was hit with Slade's attack.

The boy's breathing quickened.

The _clang_ of the sword reached his ears; Robin was fighting again. "Jericho! We need you!"

Finally, he ran. He sped forward, right into the thick of the fray, right next to his father.

Slade continued to fight, not taking his eyes off of Robin. "So you've taken control of your fear, have you?" he asked. "Admirable. But it won't be enough."

Jericho continued to dodge and weave, keeping up to Slade.

"You still cannot defeat me. Why should you, when your five friends here never truly have?"

He didn't listen. He only prayed. _Look this way…just one moment…_

"At least you aren't a pathetic, frightened weakling, anymore," Slade admitted. And for a split second, he looked over his shoulder at the boy beside him.

It was enough.

_Contact!_

Slade dropped his sword, clutching at his head with both hands. What little of his mouth could be seen through the mask was twisted into a grimace, and his good eye was closed in concentration. Wary, Robin sprang back to put distance between himself and Slade.

"I'm…here…ah!" came out of Slade's mouth. "Hurry…no time…he's fighting it!"

"But Jericho," Starfire protested, "We do not wish to hurt you—"

"Don't worry about me, there isn't—get out!—he's taking back control…do it now!"

"Well you better get outta there quick, then!" Cyborg took only a moment to charge his plasma gun before shooting it.

The blast hit Slade head-on. Starfire gasped, touching down to the ground near Jericho. The boy's father lay only a few feet away, knocked out by the force of the blast. Robin was left to take his weapons and restrain him—the other four hovered anxiously above the youngest Titan.

A tense moment passed, but Jericho's eyes finally flickered and opened.

"He's alright," Raven called to Robin, with a sigh of relief.

"DUDE! Don't scare me like that!" Beast boy fluttered around Jericho's head as a rather excitable hummingbird.

Jericho only blinked, and smiled.

0-0-0-0-0

"Well he may not be in jail long, but we got him for now." Robin looked around the table at Titans Tower, a triumphant smirk on his face. Not many other faces returned the grin, though. Starfire's did, as did Jericho's. But Beast Boy poked at the dish in front of him in disgust—Starfire had insisted on cooking her traditional celebratory feast. Cyborg looked decidedly uninterested in the food, while Raven's face was obscured by a thick, leather-bound book.

"Jericho, what will you do now?" Starfire asked.

He pointed to himself with an expression that clearly asked _"who, me?"_

"Of course you can stay on the team, if that's what you want. We'd be glad to have you," said Robin.

"But if there was something else you wanted to do…" Raven trailed off knowingly, turning her page.

Smiling a little sheepishly, Jericho began to sign.

"Well of course you can!" Starfire glided over the table to clutch Jericho's hands. "I am sure that your mother will be delighted to see you again!"

"Don't worry about us," Cyborg said before Jericho could even finish his next signed sentence. "We got this city under control. You go on home, I bet they need you there."

"Gonna miss having you around, though."

"Do you wish us to escort you?"

Jericho shook his head, smiling at Starfire.

"When do you want to leave?" Raven marked her place, putting down the tome. Jericho looked toward the window, where the last rays of sunlight were sinking beyond the horizon. "Tomorrow, then?"

He nodded.

Robin stood up, taking his still-full plate to the sink. "We'll see you off in the morning. For now, I think we should all get some sleep."

Beast Boy quickly followed Robin's lead, removing Starfire's concoction before she could notice that he hadn't taken a bite.

0-0-0-0-0

Jericho looked back at Titans Tower the next morning, waving good-bye to his friends. There was little more for them all to say than a few "good luck!"s and "keep in touch!"s.

Well, all except Raven.

"Wait up."

He turned around to see her floating gently, catching up to him on the road.

"Listen, I know how hard you worked while you were here. I know how much better you've gotten." She looked away, obstinately staring at a spot of ground near Jericho's foot. "But if you need us, call. No matter where you are, you're a Titan. Remember it."

Through her awkward speech, Jericho could see how hard Raven was trying to be comforting and supportive. He returned the gesture the best way he knew how. He wrapped his arms around Raven's shoulders, and hugged her close.

Raven stiffened at first, but she blushed a little bit and smiled back. "Good luck, Jericho."

With that, she turned back to the tower, and he to the horizon. It was still early—the sun was just barely peeking over the tops of the city's skyscrapers. He held up a hand to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight.

Jericho walked down the path, holding himself tall and proud.


End file.
